05/10/2022 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – On the evening of May 3, militants affiliated with the group Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) launched an attack on a Christian village in northeastern Nigeria. Eight people were reportedly killed in the violence, with many more still missing.
In the latest of several attacks by the Islamic extremists on Christian communities in Chibok County, Borno state, ISWAP militants stormed the predominately Christian Kautikari town around 6 pm. The militants not only shot and killed the villagers but also looted properties and destroyed many homes, according to area residents.
Hundreds of residents were forced to flee the area in order to escape the violence and bloodshed.
Area resident Musa Nkeki told media outlets that this was the second attack in the Chibok area in less than a month, as ISWAP terrorists on April 18 attacked Yimirmugza village, abducting six Christians.
“They shot sporadically on anyone in sight, thereby forcing all Christian residents to flee for their lives,” Nkeki said. “At the end of the attack, the terrorists killed a Christian by the name of Godwin Isa’ac and abducted six girls.”
Last year, Nigeria earned the title of the worst country for Christian persecution in ICC’s 2021 Persecutor of the Year Awards. Radicalized and armed Islamist Fulani militants have killed tens of thousands of Christians and left more than 3 million displaced in a 20-year genocide.
“Christian communities in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria have effectively suffered a 20-year genocide,” said ICC President Jeff King. “Where is any action? The Nigerian government gives these attacks lip service without any meaningful response. Where is the outcry? Where is effective action? In Nigeria, the military, the police, and the intelligence agencies are all controlled by Muslims. This, coupled with a 20-year lack of response by these agencies, should naturally lead to deeper questioning by the international community. Simply put, the time for cheap talk and platitudes is over. The world is waking up and starting to ask, ‘Is the Nigerian government complicit in these attacks?’ Time will tell, but for this long-time watcher, the decision is in.”
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